Ray Lewis murder questions questions were inescapable during Super Bowl week as a hazy incident from more than a decade ago dogged the Baltimore Ravens linebacker.

But, despite continued accusations from fans and across the internet, the fact remained that no evidence ever linked Lewis with the slayings of two men on Super Bowl weekend in 2000, and he was never charged nor convicted. In fact, no one was convicted — the two friends of Ray Lewis charged with the murder were acquitted for lack of evidence.

What is true is that Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker got into a fight with Ray Lewis and his friends after Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta. The two men ended up killed from stab wounds. Ray Lewis and the crew he was with were originally charged, but Ray Lewis ultimately plead out to obstructing justice for initially lying to police officers.

Baltimore Sun crime reporter Dan Rodricks, who covered the trial, noted that while public sentiment paints Ray Lewis as a murderer, the facts say otherwise.

“Had Lewis been convicted, he’d have gone to prison and become a tragic memory instead of a football legend. Convictions of his two co-defendants might have insulated Lewis from the persistent suspicion and unforgiving sarcasm.

“But those things did not happen, and for sound reasons based in law.

“I covered the Ray Lewis murder trial with a team of Sun reporters. After a couple of days of the state’s presentation, I described the prosecution as “sputtering” and having “fizzled,” but that was kind. The prosecution was awful. There was no evidence that Lewis killed anyone during the infamous closing-time brawl outside the Cobalt Lounge on East Paces Ferry Road in the Buckhead entertainment section of Atlanta, after Super Bowl XXXIV. Witness testimony against him was thin, contradictory and confusing.

“In fact, there was more evidence that Lewis had tried to stop two men in his partying entourage from engaging in the fight that resulted in the stabbing deaths of Baker and Lollar.”

Some still say Ray Lewis is guilty of murder because he “paid off” the families of those killed, but legal experts point out that his decision to settle the civil cases brought against him is not uncommon.

Former teammate and current CBS analyst Shannon Sharpe said he is happy to see Ray Lewis go out on top and sign a deal with ESPN to become a commentator post-retirement.

“That shows you how someone can rehabilitate their life,” Sharpe told the Baltimore Sun. “I’m sure there are some people that still dislike Ray for what transpired in Atlanta, but I know a different Ray Lewis.”

Though prosecutors never charged Ray Lewis with murder, for many that will remain his legacy. That’s unfortunate for Lewis, who spent the rest of his career trying to atone for his bad decisions.

This article is entirely the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Inquisitr.com.

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Comments

Interesting that Lewis and his crew just happened to have THREE knives with them that evening, and that they had secured the services of the two men they killed for a specific fee which they never intended to pay. Lewis has also fathered six kids with four women. He is a reprobate. Who cares if he can play with a ball like a little boy. He is a monster.

Very misleading. Beginning with the title "No Evidence Ever Linked Linebacker To Slayings" Actually the victims blood was found in Ray's limosine. That is evidence – not PROOF, but certainly evidence. Later you state that "he was never charged nor convicted." Again, untrue, he absolutely was charged – he was INDICTED on charges of murder, felony murder and aggravated assault. He worked out a DEAL, pleading guilty to obstruction of justice. I don't know if Lewis actually participated in the killings of the two victims, but he was KNEE DEEP in the middle of the fighting which preceded it and by his own admissions attempted to cover up his and others involvement in the actual killings afterwards. He was certainly MORE involved in the murders than Richard Nixon was of the Watergate break in; should we celebrate Nixon as a poster boy for good politicians because of the good he did after he discgraced the office… and completely forget (and even dishonestly try to re-write history as you've done)? Or should we be honest, say we're uncertain just how involved each was with the original crimes, recognized the GUILT of each in the coverups, and accept the godd things each has done for what they are worth – without trying to rewrite the historical record with falshoods. Ray was stupid, may have gotten away with a stupid homicide, absolutely got a handslap for trying to get himself or others away with a killing of two human beings, and since has been a decent citizen. Good for him for not being involved in futher violent crimes or coverups.

i'm a ravens fan though i'll admit it always sounded like a fishy story. and although he's never going to get charged for it, i suspect this will probably end up as a death-bed confession as to what really happened, especially if he's as religious as he makes himself look on tv since he'll want to confess before he dies. i definitely think he was involved in the fight, whether he actually did the stabbings we can only suspect. i hope he really didn't do it, but again, it will probably be a death-bed confession, and we won't have to deal with this story again for quite a while

we know what is not a theory: there was blood of the victims in his limo…his white suit was never found, he had someone testify in the trial that he wore a different outfit. he told his entourage to keep their mouths shut; he settled out of court with the victims….so cut the shit of "if ur ass wasen't there" i assume your ass wasen't at OJs house either, so he must be innocent.

Not to mention that he told the passengers in the limo to "keep their mouths shut" and the white suit he was wearing that night magically disappeared never to be seen again. He most likely participated in the murders.

The ignorant narrative that I used to believe, that Ray Lewis killed two guys and got his friends to take the fall for it, is certainly incorrect. First of all, there was no fall. Both men were acquitted when the careering D.A., reminiscent of the Duke lacrosse prosecutor, failed to secure a single murder conviction on two deaths. Second, even when Lewis turned state’s witness, his testimony “helped portray the victims as aggressors,” in the words of the other two’s lawyer, thus helping them. Most importantly, for Ray Lewis to have killed either of the men would have required such a vastly different sequence of events than those reported by both the victims’ group and his own that they would all have to be on the take. It’s a very silly thought to construct a scenario where that is possible, and it’s a sillier thought to regard a football player as that far above the law.

Antwon Grant If a theory is backed with reason and evidence then it means a lot more than the counter argument "you weren't there so you no nothing." Plus, he never said wether Lewis is a murderer or not. He did claim that Lewis was more involved than he let on, due to the blood in the limo and the missing jacket (though it is not evidence, it leads to suspicion). Ray Lewis is guilty of obstructing justice that is certain, but for murder no one knows except for those involved.

Sometimes you just have to do what you can to protect yourself. We were not there. People get mean and jelous of another black man who is on the way up. Will the world really miss these two men? I think not! He got a second chance and look at what a man he became. God Bless Ray- Ray!